


I Put A Spell On You

by Mycatshuman



Series: Halloween Fics [2]
Category: Hocus Pocus (1993), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, Halloween, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 20:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20823410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mycatshuman/pseuds/Mycatshuman
Summary: The Black Flame Candle has been lit! Get ready for resurrected witches, talking cats, a zombie witch and three teens who got caught in it all.With the Sanderson Brothers back in the land of the living, three teens must determine if the legends are true in this spooky Halloween fic.This is a Prinxiety, Remile, and Logicality fic.Warnings: Mentions of sickness, fire, hanging, poison, sewing shut mouths, turning people into cats, witches, mentions of a book made of human skin, manipulation, and Deceit. Please let me know if I missed any.





	1. Come Little Children

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for a while so That's why other fics of mine have not been updated. So...yeah..

Once upon a time…… in an old land filled with threats from the natives whose land was stolen from them and the fear of wicked humans whose souls were sold to the devil for power, a young man awoke to nothing. Well, he hadn't really awoken to nothing, but nothing had caused him to awaken. The young man looked around to find his brother's bed empty. "Binx?" He called out before climbing out of bed. "Binx!" He yelled out again, however his shout was drowned out by the soft lull of a musical voice wafting through the air. 

_ "Come, little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment…"  _

The young man felt his eyes blow wide as he scrambled outside and called out again, his heart thundered in his chest. "Binx!" 

_ "Come, little children, the times come to play…."  _ The enchanting voice continued as it began to grow fainter with distance. 

The young man frantically looked around and saw no sign of his brother. As his gaze wandered toward the sky, he noticed a billowing purple smoke spilling over the top of the trees from somewhere in the woods across the field. "They conjure!" He exclaimed and rushed off to call out for help before rushing into the forest. The man managed to tumble down every hill leading down to the witches' cottage before landing at the bottom of the steps leading to the front door. He shook off the pain before wading through the creek to catch a glimpse into the witch's home. 

Inside the cottage, a young, sickly child sat carefully in a chair as three young men went about their business. One of the men had light blonde hair that sat atop his head in joyful curls. He wore a long dress dyed with midnight blues and blacks that seemed to shimmer as he moved from a cauldron to a stand on which sat a thick leather-bound book. He had black-framed glasses that sat firmly atop his sharp nose as he peered down at whatever foul spells lay written on the page. Another of the witches stood off to the side, gathering ingredients for their potion. He too, wore a dress, although his design was certainly different from his brother's. It's colors consisted of blacks and whites and greys. His fiery red hair made up for the lack of color in his clothes. He also had glasses, although the lenses were darkened to the point where one could not see the eyes behind them. The last witch was an ethereal beauty. He had straight hair of pitch black that fell over his stormy eyes. His pale skin was as white as snow and his dress was made of midnight blacks and purples swirled throughout the design of the dress. He stood in the back by the young child. 

The young man peeking in the window knew of these witches all too well. Everyone in Salem knew of them, but they could never get any proof. But now the Sanderson Brothers would finally meet the noose.

The young man slipped in the dirt and all the witches inside turned to look at the window before one of them, the oldest, moved to the window to look outside. The young man hid against the side of the house as he waited for the witch to turn back inside. 

The witch in the window, the one dressed in lots of purples, grimaced at the sunlight. "Oh, look. Another glorious morning." He paused. "Makes me sick!" He spat before closing the shutters and turning back inside. 

The young man quickly found a way in through a small window in the loft and crawled to the edge to watch the witches again, searching for the right time to grab his brother and run. The young man grimaced as he heard a cough rack through his brother's body. 

"Virgil!" 

The witch in purple turned to his brother in blues. 

"Yes, Logan?" 

"We must finish the potion so that we may help our guest of honor."

Virgil nodded and he joined his brothers as they read through the ingredients. 

"Remy!" 

The witch in dark blacks and whites jolted. "What?" He asked, clearly cranky. 

Logan raised an eyebrow and shot a pointed look down at the spellbook atop the pedestal he stood in front of. Remy rolled his eyes and gilded over as it seemed he was somehow too mystical to walk. "I seem to notice that Virgil isn't helping," he comments as he leans over to cast a small glance at the book. 

Virgil hissed. "I helped the child here." 

Logan rolled his eyes. "Stop it. Leave Virgil alone, Remy, he hath done his chore." Remy huffed. 

"It's not like I won't help anymore," Virgil muttered. 

Logan turned back to the book. It was old. Frayed around the edges. He pulled open the cover and flipped through the pages until he came to the page he was looking for. "Here it is," adjusting his glasses as he read out from the book. "'Bring to a full rolling bubble. Then add two drops of oil of boil," Remy sighs and turns to add the ingredient to the cauldron. 

"Add a dash of fox and one dead man's toe." Logan contemplated for a few moments. "Make it a fresh one." 

"Dead man's toe! Dead man's toe!" Virgil sang as he danced around the cottage in an attempt to both annoy his brothers and hopefully get a small laugh out of Binx. The hidden teen frowned slightly as he heard his brother let out a joyful giggle. The sound brought a small smile to the witches' faces. 

Remy carried a bowl of toes over to the cauldron and sniffed one before dropping it in. "Fresh one." Then he turns and tosses one at Virgil who lets out a muffled shriek. Binx giggles but gets cut off by coughs wracking his thin body. All witches and young men hiding in lofts freeze and grimace as the sound makes their hearts twist painfully. 

Logan cleared his throat and went back to the book, this time, muttering to himself. "Newt saliva." 

Remy frowned as a smell hit his nose. He turned to Logan. "I smell a child." 

Logan frowned and turned to his brother. "And what doest thou call that?!" He exclaimed. 

Remy frowned. "A child, but-"

Logan shook his head. "No buts', we must finish this." He turned back to the cauldron. "'Tis ready for tasting," Logan said as he dipped a spoon into the potion. He turned quickly to face Binx, his brothers coming up behind him to watch. "Alright, child, open your mouth." 

The young man in the loft shot up. "No!" He cried out, fearing for his brother's life. 

The three witches jumped and looked up in surprise to find the young teen in their home. "A boy!" Virgil exclaimed. 

Logan groaned. "Get him!" 

Remy and Virgil shared a wicked glance. "I knew I smelled a boy!" Remy cried out as he tried to grab him. But the young man managed to reach the cauldron and spilled the potion. 

"The potion!" Logan shrieked. 

"Binx!" The young man tries to reach his brother but Logan blasts him with electricity and he drops. "Do you-" 

Virgil taps Logan's shoulder, interrupting him. "Logan, look." Logan follows Virgil's finger as it points at Binx a glowing aura surrounding him. "He drank the potion," Virgil whispers. 

Logan grins. "Okay, brothers, prepare thyselves. 'Tis time we prove once and for all magic can be used for good." The three witches surround the young child and sucked the disease from Binx's aura before blowing it out to dissolve and burn away. 

The young man watches as his younger brother hops up from his chair and runs over to him with a wide smile. "John! I don't feel icky anymore!" 

John blinks and lifts his hand to find his brother's skin no longer clammy with illness. "'Tis unbelievable!" He exclaims. He turns to the witches with wide eyes. "I can't thank you enough for saving my brother!" The three witches smile slightly. 

"We simply wished to help. Binx is the only of all the children of Salem to actually be kind to us."

John suddenly felt extremely guilty. "I'm so sorry." His eyes widened. "Oh no! The town! They're coming! And they're bringing the rope!" 

The witches suddenly became frantic. "This is the first time we tried that potion! We don't know how long it'll last!" Virgil cried. 

Remy frowned. 

John felt guilt twist in his gut. It was his fault these kind witches would be killed. "I-" he cleared his throat, the witches spinning around to look at him. "I'm sorry. If there is anything you can do to promise my brother a long life, please, do it." The witches shared a glance. 

"As a cat?" 

John blinked. "Uh, I guess?" 

The witches squared their shoulders. "Twist the bones and bend the back," Logan started. 

"Itch-it-a-cop-it-a, Mel-a-ka-mys-tic-a," Remy and Virgil sang. 

"Trim them of their baby fat."

"Itch-it-a-cop-it-a, Mel-a-ka-mys-tic-a."

"Give them fur black as black. Just.."

"Like.." 

"This." 

The three witches held their hands over the two brothers who began to shrink down into two black cats. Virgil leans forward and pets them. "This way you two can spend as many years as you can together. You clearly love each other very much. It would be a shame to break you two apart." 

The witches jump as a sudden pound at the front door startled them. The town's people have arrived. The three brothers rush forward to hold the door. Logan whispers something to the cats. "My brothers and I will act as if we truly are evil witches. We are going to act as if we sucked the life out of you two. I'm sorry. But it's all part of my plan." He sent a small shaky smile. "We will see each other again." 

"Open! Witches! Sons of Darkness!! Open this door!" 

"Witches?" Remy calls through the door. "There be no witches here, sir." 

Virgil's shared a look with his brothers to confirm what he is about to do. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He was not ready to die. He was young. They all were. But the rumors spread and they poisoned the minds of everyone around them. 

"We're just three brothers spending a quiet evening at home!" Logan shouts. 

"Sucking the lives out of little children!" Virgil cries out, his heart withering inside his chest. 

\-----

Virgil, Logan, and Remy stood atop three barrels, itchy rope pulling at their necks. Nooses. They were going to be hanged. In front of them stood the mob of angry townspeople, one of which holding the brothers' spellbook. "Logan Sanderson?" A man from the angry mob called out. This was the father of the two boys turned cats who sat a little bit away on a rock, watching with heavy hearts. 

"Yes?" Logan asked, his black and blue dress dangling over the edges of his barrel. 

"I will ask thee one final time."

Logan merely raised an eyebrow. 

"What hast thou done with my sons, John and Thackary?" 

"John and Thackary?" Logan asked, feigning ignorance and wickedness. 

"Answer me!" The father shouts as he holds his wife close. "Well, you see, I don't know. Cats got my tongue." Logan forces a laugh along with his brothers both at his feigned malevolence and the pun. 

Virgil twisted his neck. "This is terribly uncomfortable." 

"Brothers," Logan starts. "Sing." 

The three witches stood still and opened their mouths and let out a simple note. "Ahhh." 

The mob of angry villagers shuffled with fear. The father of the boys turned cat shouted out to the crowd, almost as if he was their leader. "Cover your ears! Listen to them not!" All around the people covered their ears. The man holding the spellbook threw the book down to cover his ears. The book landed at Logan's feet and flipped open to reveal a spell to him. 

Logan sighed. Time to play the part some more. "Fools! All of you! My-" Logan forced himself not to choke. "Ungodly book speaks to you." Fear spilled through the crowd of townspeople, seeping into their hearts, unaware of just how misplaced their fear was. "On All Hallow's Eve when the moon is round, a virgin shall summon us from under the ground. Ohhh! We shall be back! And the lives of all the children shall be mine!" Logan cried out. 

The three brothers felt fear stab at their hearts. They were moments away from death. And they had to be deceitful in their final moments. They all forced themselves to continue to look forward as they sent each other one final "goodbye" and "I love you" through their mental connection. 

The signal was given and the barrels beneath the brothers were kicked out from under them. Virgil's heart leaped into his throat as he struggled to breathe. The two Binx brothers tried to distract themselves from the three brothers by rubbing against their father's leg as one final goodbye. 

Mr. Binx shot a disgusted glance down at them. "Away! Away beast!" 

The two brothers turned cats let out a mournful meow. 

\---

"Poor Thackary and John Binx. Neither their mother or father nor anyone else ever knew what became of them, those 300 years ago."

  
  



	2. All Hallows Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman's feeling down and not in the Halloween spirit. Patton's trying to cheer him up and suggests a field trip.

_ Salem, Massachusetts, 2019 _

An older woman in black steps through the aisles of desks as her students listen to her tale. "And so, the Sanderson brothers were hanged by the Salem town folk. And now, there are those who say that on Halloween night, two black cats still guard the old Sanderson house. Warning off any who might make the witches come back from the dead." The teacher threw a handful of plastic spiders at a student in front of Roman Prince. The student shrieked before the class dissolved into giggles. 

Roman scoffed. "Give me a break." 

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Do we have a skeptic in our midst?" She asked 

Roman rolled his eyes. "Halloween is nothing but a holiday invented by the candy companies to earn more money. It's all a conspiracy." 

Now normally, Roman would be all for Halloween, but due to a recent event that had him crying to sleep most nights, he was all too grumpy and hurt to properly get excited for the spooky holiday. 

"It just so happens that Halloween is based on the ancient feast known as All Hallow's Eve. It's said to be the one night a year where the spirits of the dead can return to Earth," a young teen, wearing a soft cream-colored sweater corrected. Emile Picani. Roman groaned. He loved his friend. He did! And he really appreciated his friend trying to cheer him up with some knowledge on one of his favorite holidays, but at this moment he really couldn't deal with it. He was just too down in the dumps. He really shouldn't let it affect him. He should be happy and bright, but he just couldn't find it in himself. 

"Whatever."

The bell rang and teenagers filed out of the classroom. Emile grabbed his things and then waited for Roman to gather his stuff before they both left the classroom to meet up with Patton. 

They found their cheery friend outside waiting for them underneath one of the tall trees outside of the high school. The two friends watched as an orange leaf floated down and landed in Patton's curly auburn hair. Roman let a small smile spread across his face at the sight of his friend with a leaf in his hair. The two friends walked up to stand by Patton as he finished a conversation with someone in his cooking class. Once he was done and the other person left, Patton turned to his friends with a smile. 

"Hey, guys! How was Miss Dennison's class?" The bubbly teen pushed up his circular glasses and pulled his grey cardigan tighter around himself to offer some protection against the crisp fall air. 

Emile shot a glance towards Roman, his warm brown eyes twinkling with concern. "Well, she told the story about the Sanderson Brothers. So that was nice." He left out the part about Roman's "outburst", unsure if whether or not he should mention it. The three set off towards their neighborhood. Their feet crunching on random leaves as they walked down the sidewalk. 

Roman sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty. He dropped his arm and shoved his hands in the pockets of his letterman jacket. "Hey, Emile," he called softly, his friend in question turned his attention to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so grumpy."

Emile gave his friend an empathic smile. "It's okay, Roman. I know you're feeling a little down." 

The elephant in the room made Patton grimace. The knowledge of his friend hurting made unpleasant emotions storm his mind. 

He forced a smile on his face. "So, what are we doing for Halloween tonight?" He asked, trying to change the subject. 

Roman bit his lip. "I don't think I want to do anything tonight." 

"What?!?!" Both Emile and Patton exclaimed, shock evident on their faces, Halloween was one of their friend’s favorite holidays. 

Roman shrugged and looked away as they walked along the sidewalk. Young children in costumes ran by excitedly on their hunt for candy in the late daylight. "I just want to get my homework done before the weekend." 

Emile and Patton shared a look as they followed after Roman. "But you love Halloween. You always have the best costumes."

"You always spend months planning and working on your costumes. So why....?" 

Roman's shoulders hunched up by his ears and he pulled on his jacket sleeves. "Well, I just wanted to be mature, you know." Roman picked at the red and gold stripes of his jacket. He forced down the lump in his throat. "I-I mean, Matt didn't like that I was so immature. He was tired of the singing and dancing and childish movies. That's why he left so I just thought that I should probably grow up if I ever wanted to actually be able to be romanced." He forced his line of sight on a distant tree to avoid the sympathetic looks from his friends. 

Emile bit his lip as he tried to come to a decision on how to approach this conversation. Meanwhile, Patton was fuming. He half wanted to strangle Roman's ex. How dare he make his best friend feel this way?!?! It made him so mad and upset. He let out a silent huff of breath. After taking a deep breath to slowly calm down, he took a few moments to think up a plan. Then he rushed forward to catch up with his friend and walk beside Roman. "Hey! I have an idea!" Roman raised an eyebrow as he shot a glance towards Patton, Emile sharing a similar expression. 

"What is it?" Emile asked. 

Patton began to physically vibrate as he held in a squeal, building up the excitement. "Come on Patton? Share with the class." Roman chuckled, thankful for the distraction. 

"We should go to the Sanderson House!" He burst out energetically. His friends raised an eyebrow in sync. 

"Why?" 

"The kitties! What if they're there!!" He squealed. Roman snorted. 

"But you're allergic," Emile said.

"No one can stop me."

Roman scoffed. "You wouldn't go alone, there could be spiders." 

Patton shivered, the cool autumn air not being the cause but certainly not helping him. "Mm. While the idea of the creepy-crawly death dealers is scary, I still want to see if the cats are there." 

Roman rolled his eyes. "I highly doubt that the 'brothers turned cats' are there, Patton." 

"It's scientifically impossible," Emile added once he caught up. "But, it does sound very appealing." 

"You too, Emile?" Roman asked. 

Emile grinned. "Hey, cats are worth everything." 

Roman rolled his eyes. "Alright, yeah, let’s go to the Sanderson house tonight. Sounds fun. Sounds dangerous. Let's go!" He exclaimed as they finally entered their neighborhood. "When are we going?" 

Patton shrugged and pulled out a bag of trail mix and began munching on his snack. "Sometime tonight. I guess." He munched on his food thoughtfully for a few moments, deciding the best way to approach the subject he was about to bring up. "So, are you going to dress up?" 

Roman bit his lip. "I guess I could throw something together real quick if you wanted me to." 

Patton nodded and Emile let out a soft breath. "I'm going as a Dad." 

Roman nodded. "Interesting. Why?" 

Patton shrugged. "I don't know, just sounded like a good excuse to use a bunch of puns." 

Emile nodded. "Sounds nice. I'm going as a therapist." He fixed his glasses smiling brightly. 

"These are things you guys actually want to be, why dress up like them?" Roman asked. 

His friends shrugged. "Well, we want to see if it actually makes us happy." 

Roman nodded absently. His thoughts trailing off towards what he could possibly do for a costume in just a few hours. Soon enough they came to his house. He waved goodbye to his friends and rushed inside and up the stairs to his bedroom as fast as possible before bursting through his door and dropping his backpack on the floor. He shut his door and leaned back against it, resting his head as he let out a deep sigh. He took a glance around and felt his heart twist painfully. 

Roman used to like his room. There were Disney posters everywhere. And there were musical posters and playbills pinned to every surface. There were stuffed animals on the bed, a sewing machine on the desk, complete with a box of fabric sitting underneath. That's how his room looked when he first got together with Matt. And that's how it looked through their whole relationship. Unfortunately, it was the same room they had their breakup fight in. All Roman had asked was if they could watch Moana. Then Matt exploded, calling him immature and childish because of all the things he did and enjoyed. Then he left. And Roman was left alone in his room that was too childish for his first boyfriend. After a few hours of crying Roman had ripped the posters and playbills off the walls and shoved them on a shelf in his closet. He shoved the stuffed animals, sewing machine, and fabrics behind his clothes in the closet. 

He hardly opened his closest anymore. He grabbed most of his clothes from his dresser. He didn't like his room anymore. It was so bare. So, boring. He didn't like being in his room anymore. He glanced towards the closed doors on the opposite side of his room and bit his lip. He suddenly remembered what he had been working on before his boyfriend had come in to break up with him. He inched over to the doors and braced himself to open them. He whipped open the doors and found all of his favorite things sitting neglected in boxes. 

He kneeled down and dragged out one of the boxes and began shifting around and then his hands closed around a piece of white fabric. He pulled it out and felt a tingle in his fingers as he spread out the mostly finished costume and felt his lips twitch slightly. He set the costume on the floor before pulling out the rest of what he needed. He suddenly felt a little more excited about tonight. It would be nice to get out of the house. Sort of like an adventure. 

Roman smiled as he set to work finishing his costume. He had the eerie feeling that this was an adventure that was going to change his life. For better or worse, he had no idea what it would be. He just hoped it would be for the better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?


	3. Down The Scary Path To The Sanderson Cottage

* * *

Roman cautiously picked up his costume and took one final look before he began to pull the costume on. First the pants, then a white t-shirt and then the jacket. Finally the sash and then he pulled on his shoes. He took a few moments to prepare himself before he turned around to look in the mirror. He was nervous. Incredibly nervous. He wasn't sure if what he saw in that mirror would be good. He wasn't sure that it wouldn't hurt him. He was terrified. What if he saw exactly what his ex saw? A childish immature teenager trying to play house. 

He took a few moments to dig through the boxes in his closet, keeping his attention away from the sheet of glass sitting ready on the wall. After a couple of minutes of rooting through all the "childish" things, he took a deep breath and stood up, turning towards his reflection. 

Roman inspected himself in the mirror. He looked good. He actually liked it. The costume felt right. But it also felt different. Despite having been working on the costume moments before his ex came in to break up with him, Roman had little to no reminders of him in the costume. Sure, when he looked at the gold stitching on the cuffs, he remembered the way his ex had come into the room. But it didn't really bother him now. The costume actually made him feel happier. He liked that. He liked feeling happy. He just hoped it lasted. 

Roman adjusted the jacket again while he waited for his friends. The jacket was mostly white, with gold epaulets on the shoulders and gold stitching over his chest and on the cuffs. It had a high neck collar and a royal red sash laying across his chest. He paired it with a pair of black dress pants—pressed of course—and nice dress shoes. He had even attached his sword to his hip to complete the outfit. He was going out as a prince. It was a nice play on his last name. Patton would appreciate the pun. He let out a sigh and leaned closer to the mirror and fixed his hair for the tenth time before pulling back. The sound of the doorbell rang out through the house. His friends. Roman left his room and ran down the stairs, two at a time, he was excited. He did a quick peep out the peephole just to confirm his friends were in fact here. He opened the door with a broad grin. 

"Awwwww!" Patton immediately squealed. "You look so amazing!!" He exclaimed. He bounded forward and gave a quick hug before pulling back and inspecting Roman's costume. "You look so princely!" 

Roman grinned wide. A real smile this time. His first real smile in a while. "Well, you know a prince has got to slay." He chuckled. Then, "You guys look great!" He took in his friend's costumes. Patton was in a light blue polo, a grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders and tan slacks. He had even traded his normal glasses for a pair of rectangular black framed ones. He looked like the embodiment of a typical dad. 

Meanwhile, Emile was wearing his normal cream-colored sweater over top a white dress shirt. He paired it with a blue and pink tie and his normal glasses. He had a pair of nice slacks and some pretty comfortable looking shoes. In his hand, he held a notebook and pen and he had his backpack over the shoulder with him. (Hopefully empty of school books.) Roman smiled. He really loved his friends. 

"Thank you so much, kiddo!"

"Thanks!" 

Roman stepped outside and closed the door behind him. "So, are we ready to go?" He asked. 

"Yes!" Patton exclaimed. He linked arms with Roman and Emile before beginning to walk down the walkway and out onto the sidewalk. "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of all!!!" Patton sang out with both Roman and Emile joining immediately. They began skipping down the sidewalk and made it about halfway down the block before they dissolved into giggles. They broke away and stopped to take a breath and rid themselves of the giggles. 

"Maybe next year we should dress up as Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow," Roman suggested through giggles, his eyes smiling. 

Patton let out an excited gasp. "That would be so much fun!" He exclaimed. 

Emily's eyes lit up. "Oooo! We can work on our costumes together too!" 

"And we can watch The Wizard of Oz while we work!" Roman chimed in as they set off walking again. Patton let his mouth pull into a content smile. It was good to see Roman smiling and laughing again. Really good. 

The three walked down the sidewalk as other children ran by giggling with bags swinging, heavy with the sugary sweets gathered from their hunts through the neighborhoods of Salem. The three friends entertained themselves with random conversations. The type of conversations that don't always have a point of meaning to them but are enjoyed anyways due to the people a part of them. Eventually, they fell into a comfortable silence, simply opting to listen to cheerful shrieks from younger kids running around with bags of candy and fun costumes. Roman was happy his parents still had the key to the witches' cottage from their failed attempt to open a museum in the house all those years ago. He was actually looking forward to seeing the inside, and the fluttery feeling this being a life-changing adventure brought him more optimistic thoughts than he guessed it would. 

However, the closer they got to the road leading to the Sanderson house, the colder it got. The trees held fewer leaves until eventually, they were all dead and dull brown and orange, burying the ground so that with each step, the crunch crunch crunching of once green leaves sounded beneath the three sets of feet as they traveled further and further from the fun-filled screams of trick-or-treaters. A mournful breeze blew past the group and they startled to find the tall, imposing wrought iron gates laid out before them. The three shared a nervous glance. "Looks like we're here," Roman whispered. It's not like there was anyone who could overhear them. It's not like there was a law that demanded a person had to whisper near any spooky home, but he still felt the need to whisper anyway. Patton nodded. 

Emile glanced between the two. "So...who's going to open the gate?" He whispered. 

"But what if it squeaks?" 

The three glanced between each other for a few moments, a silent conversation passing between them. Logically, no one would be able to hear them open the gate, however, the fear still nipped at their hearts. Roman bit his lip as he turned towards the tall gates. He reached forward, his hand landing on the cool metal. He took a deep breath before pushing the gates open. The creak from the old hinges rang out, a deafening sound in the otherwise chilling silence. The three friends winced and shivers ran down their spines. After taking a few moments to gather their courage, they all took one step forward. Slowly, the group inched their way forward. Once they got to the steps they stopped. "Are you guys ready?" Roman whispered as he pulled the old key out of his pocket and waved it lightly. The other two nodded and then they stepped right up to the front door. Roman pushed the key into the lock and turned. Then he placed his hand on the knob. He took a deep breath. Then he pushed open the door to the Sanderson House, unaware of two sets of amber eyes staring at them from the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?


	4. The Black Flame Candle

The door to the old house creaked open. Dust covered every surface. Cobwebs hung in corners and simmered in the moonlight as it filtered in through the windows. "You know," Emile whispered. "Legend has it that buried within these walls are the bones of a hundred children." 

Patton shivered while Roman fumbled along the wall trying to find the light switch. 

"That sounds wonderful," he mumbled, frowning when he didn't find the light switch right away. Once Roman found the switch, he flipped it and electrical light lit up the inside of the old house. He sighed and shut the front door as he glanced around the house in awed curiosity. Many objects were on display with signs beside them to tell of what they were. There were even three broomsticks hanging on a beam, supposedly the brooms belonged to the Sanderson brothers. Roman was very convinced. He slid along the counter and found a lighter stand. Raising an eyebrow, he picked one up and flicked it on. As his friends moved around cautiously. Outside the window, eyes peered in from the darkness, glowing, mysterious, and watching. 

Patton moved towards the heavy black cauldron sitting in the middle of the room. He adjusted his glasses as he leaned closer to the stand sitting in front of it and took in the information on the plaque. "Apparently, this is the original cauldron, and the witches are said to have slept upstairs." 

Emile moved over towards a glass case covering a thick old book. He read the information on the plaque out loud. "This is the spellbook of Logan Sanderson. 'It was given to him by the devil himself. It is bound in human skin and contains recipes for his most powerful and evil spells.’" 

Patton recited from legend. He frowned. "That's mean. How could anyone be so cruel?" 

Outside, two outraged sounding meows rang out, unheard by the humans inside, thick glass stopping the noise. History was cruel. 

Roman's nose wrinkled and he moved away from the book. He caught a glance of an object and moved over towards it. He frowned, unsure of how the object was relevant to the Sanderson Witches. "Hey, Emile?" He asked. "What's this?" 

Emile turned. "Hm?" He glanced at what Roman was pointing at. "Oh, that! That's the black flame candle."

Roman smirked with a raised eyebrow and leaned against a beam to read the sign about the candle. "Black Flame Candle. Made from the fat of a hangman," his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Ew!" He shook his head and continued reading. "Legend says it will raise the spirits of the dead when lit by a virgin on a full moon on Halloween night." He grinned, getting a devious idea. He pulled out the lighter he grabbed a few moments earlier. "So, how about we light this sucker and meet the old bastards." 

"Language." 

"Sorry, Patton." Roman moved to light the candle but was attacked by a black cat. He yelped and threw the cat off. The cat disappeared as Roman moved back towards the candle. The three friends were completely unaware of the disgruntled cats upset over the bad talking of their friends. Roman moved back towards the candle and flicked on his lighter. 

"Roman, maybe we should go home." 

The dramatic teen shook his head. "Come on, it's just a bunch of hocus pocus." 

Emile and Patton shared a look but kept their mouths shut. They decided to let Roman have this. It was nice to see their friend without a frown permanently burned into his face. 

Roman lit the candle and startled when the flame turned black. His eyes blew wide and stepped back. "Oh no." The fake flame lights above in the chandelier popped in quick succession. The three friends jumped as the floorboards rattled beneath them. Lime green light shone up through the spaces in between the boards. It stopped with a sudden deafening silence that settled over the three friends with a heaviness. They all stayed frozen for a moment. "What..what happened?" Roman asked cautiously, a fear-filled glance around the room confirmed they were alone. 

Emile bit his lip. "Well...it seems a virgin has lit the candle." Roman flushed. 

Then, all the candles in the house lit up themselves, flames flickering where light bulbs used to be. The three friends all jumped back as fire burst alive under the cauldron. Three sets of eyes widened as the sound of voices carried in from outside. Patton hid behind the counter while Emile hid behind a coat rack standing next to the door and Roman hid in the back corner of the room. 

The front door burst open to reveal the darkened forms of the three Sanderson brothers. The three hidden teens' jaws dropped in sync as the three witches stepped through the door. The shortest of the three let out a breath. "We're home! Finally! See, brothers, the spell worked perfectly."

Another brother, one wearing a dress of whites and blacks, nodded. "Oh, it's probably because thou art perfect, Logan," Remy replied sarcastically. Two of the three friends hidden found their attention immediately being drawn towards two separate witches. Patton didn't think "Logan" looked mean at all, while Emile found the witch with the sunglasses interesting. 

Roman watched the two witches interact but found his eyes drifting towards the third witch as he walked in. The skip of his heart was certainly not imagined. The final witch was adorned in a dress of deep, rich purples and blacks. His hair fell in front of his glowing purple eyes and Roman found himself drawn to him. 

The last witch reached up to grab something behind a pillar. He pulled it down and smiled. "Yes! My lucky rat tail! Right where I left it!" 

Logan took notice of the black flame candle and frowned. "We're back, but who lit the black flame candle?" The other two witches shrugged. Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before shaking his head and moving towards his book. He tapped on the glasses and the book emitted a dark blue glow. He used his magic to float the book through the glass. "Come on, brothers, we've got work to do." 

The brother in whites and blacks sniffed at the air before frowning. "Logan,"

"Remy."

"I smell children." 

The hidden teens stiffened in alarm. Logan raised an eyebrow at Remy. "Sick 'em."

Remy moved around the room sniffing at the air as his two brothers followed behind. “I smell...a boy..16 ...maybe 17…"

"Oh joy, let's throw a party," the tallest witch said with a groan.

"Come out, we will not harm thee," Logan spoke as calmly as he could. 

"Yeah, we love children."

"It's not like we're much older than whoever it is," the tallest muttered. 

The three witches slowly moved over to the counter with silent footsteps. Logan contemplates something for a moment before slamming his hand down on the counter. Patton yelped and popped up. The three brothers jumped back in surprise, taken aback at the clothes. Patton panicked, worried for his friends and made a split decision.

"I thought thou'd never come." 

The three brothers shared a glance with a raised eyebrow. Logan fixed his glasses, trying to distract himself from the particular amount of adorableness emitting from the teen in front of him. "Greetings." 

"'Twas I who brought you back." Emile and Roman felt their hearts beat rapidly in their chests. Fear for their friend coursing through their veins. 

"Imagine, such a…" Logan looked Patton up and down to inspect the human in front of him. "Interesting person…"

"He looks ...quirky," Remy said as he inspected Patton over lowered sunglasses. He glanced at Logan and noticed a slight flush to his brother's face and a devious idea working its way into his brain. He moved around the counter and took Patton's hand and patted it. "Tell me, handsome, what is the year?" 

Patton frowned slightly, missing the dirty look Logan sent his brother. He followed Remy out from behind the counter and was pushed slightly into a chair. "Um, 2019."

"We've been gone for over 300 years?!?!" The tall witch, the one in purple and blacks, exclaimed. He was seemingly on the verge of a panic attack before his brother placed his hand on his back and rubbed soothing circles. 

"Well, Virgil, time flies.." Remy started. 

"When you're dead. Dead. We were dead!" Virgil barked out a laugh. 

Patton glanced between the three before standing. "It's been fun, but I better get going."

"Oh, stay for supper. Meet the parents," Remy joked. 

"I'm not hungry." 

Remy pushes Patton back into the chair. "Oh please, stay. Logan would love to have you stay.”

Logan smacked Remy and the two engaged in a catfight before Roman bolted up to save Patton and drag them out of the house.

"Hey! Let go of my friend!" 

The witches froze and turned to find the princely character brandishing his sword. They shared a look. 

"Roast him." 

Virgil shook his head. "No, let me, let me play with him." He snickered as Roman's face went as red as his sash. The colors matching perfectly. "Awe Princey's turning red." 

Roman stomped his foot and waved the sword threateningly. Logan rolled his eyes and hit him with a jolt of energy. Roman yelped as he as thrown back against the wall and off the ground. His sword landed with a heavy thud beside him. 

"Roman!" Patton screamed. 

"Remy!" Emile yelled. 

Remy turned. "Oh, hello handsome." 

Emile knocked Remy over before he beat against Logan and Virgil with his bag. "Leave my friends alone!" 

Roman dropped and hit the floor. He scrambled to pick his sword up. Then a cat leaped at Logan and attacked him. Logan yelped. "Virgil! Help!" Virgil and Remy went to pull the cat off, noticing the other cat sitting in the corner and realizing the brothers had planned something and came to a decision to play along.

Roman shoved Emile and Patton out of the house before climbing to the second floor and looking down at the brothers. The brothers raised an eyebrow as they looked up at the prince-like character. "You have messed with the great and powerful, Roman. Now you will suffer the consequences." He pulled out the lighter he grabbed earlier. "I shall summon the burning rain of death!" 

The witches shared confused glances. "Burning rain of death?" Roman flipped the lighter open and lit it. 

Logan's brows furrowed as he inspected the fire Roman's hands. "He makes fire in his hands, fascinating." 

Roman held the flame under one of the sprinklers and suddenly the sprinklers went off. The brothers screamed and ran for cover, all too scared to notice the cool feeling of water. Roman jumped down but slipped on the wet floor. He fell back and hit his back with a groan. One of the black cats jumped up onto his chest. 

"Nice going, Roman!" The cat snapped, his tail whipping with irritation. 

Roman's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "You can talk!?!?!?!??!"

"Yeah, no kidding. Grab the spellbook! Come on! Move it! Move it!"

Logan, Remy, and Virgil watched helplessly as Roman ran to the pedestal holding the book and shattered the glass before yanking the book close to his chest and running out of the house. "No! My book!" Logan screamed. Virgil and Remy held him back for fear of the unknown substance raining down from the roof. 

Outside, Roman followed Patton, Emile, and the cat as they raced away from the cottage. Inside the cottage, Logan reached forward and tasted the clear liquid raining from the ceiling. He could have screamed. "It is but water!!!" He cried out. Remy and Virgil frowned and they both leaned forward and opened their mouths and sticking their tongues out to taste. 

"Ooo! It's refreshing!" Remy exclaimed. 

"Ahh…it is," Virgil agreed. 

"He tricked us!" Logan fumed. "He stole the book! We have to get it back!" The three raced outside only to stop as they reached the black concrete road, glistening from recent rain. To the brothers, it looked like a river. When one has been dead for over 300 years, a concrete road is something that one would find unfamiliar and therefore, scary. "Tis a black river," Logan stated.

Virgil bit his lip. "Perhaps it is not too deep." He lifted his skirts to test it only to stumble forward with a scream as Logan and Remy shoved him forward. His limbs froze up as he landed and didn't sink. He glanced from side to side and then hopped up and down. "Tis firm. Tis firm as stone." 

Logan cautiously stepped forward. He startled. "It's a road! Now, my book!" The three brothers hiked up their skirts and headed in the direction they saw the teens go only to stop and scream in terror as they saw a big red fire truck driving towards them. They turned tail and ran to hide, not used to the new things from the 21st century. The other cat raced over to sit by them as they waited for the firemen to leave. This was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think


	5. It's Just A Bunch of Hocus Pocus

John Binx leads the teens through the Salem cemetery. He felt so guilty for doing this without telling the brothers, but he knew his brother would fill them in. He also knew that these idiots wouldn't stay to hear the witch's side of the story. He was their only hope to right history. 

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, wait. This is a graveyard." 

John shook his head. "It's hallowed ground. Witches can't set foot here." The lie burned on its way out of the cat's mouth. But it wasn't a complete lie, the witch's with wicked intent couldn't walk on hallowed ground. But the Sanderson witches weren't witches with wicked intent. 

Roman glanced at Emile and Patton and noticed their shocked looks. "Yeah, he talks." 

"Follow me." John ran further into the graveyard. "I want to show you something. Give you an idea as to what you're dealing with." John hopped up on top of a gravestone. 

Emile peered closer at the stone. "Eli Butcherson? Lost Soul?" 

"He was said to be Logan's lover, but he found him with his brother Virgil and so he poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut. That way, even in death, he couldn't tell his secrets." 

Patton frowned. "That doesn't sound very nice." 

John fixed his cat eyes on the bubbly teen. 

"It might not be true.." He started cautiously. "I've also heard that Logan was upset with how Eli treated his brothers and spread rumors on them about how they were witches. Put their lives at risk. I've also heard he was a bad man..and that the witches wanted to protect the town." 

"You're Jonathan Binx."

John blinked and moved his attention to Emile. "Yes." 

"So the legends are true," Patton said, voice barely a whisper. 

John's ears twitched in irritation. "Depends on what the legends say." Hopping off the tombstone, he moved towards a different gravestone. "Come along, there's something else I want to show you." 

\-------

"Teenagers again," One of the firefighters said as he followed his fellow firefighter away from the Sanderson Cottage. "I hate Halloween."

"Worst night of the year," another firefighter agreed. 

The brothers stayed in their places hidden in the bushes as they waited for the firefighters to leave. "Who are they?" Virgil asked. 

"Boys!" 

"Witch hunters!" Logan exclaimed with disgust. "Observe, they wear black robes and carry axes to chop wood to burn us." 

Virgil shrunk back and the black cat sitting in front of them hopped up into his lap, kneading on Virgil's skirts. Virgil reached a pale hand out to scratch behind Binx's ears. Binx let out a purr in an attempt to calm Virgil down. 

"Okay, let's make one thing clear," Logan started as he picked himself off the ground, Remy and Virgil following his lead. "The magic that brought us back only works tonight, All Hallow's Eve. We turn to dust when the sun comes up." Virgil held Binx tighter as he listened to Logan's words. "Fortunately, there's a spell in my book that will help us. Without that spell, there is one other way for us to survive but that's impossible. We can't rewrite history in one night." 

"What is it?" Virgil asked. 

"We have to convince three people of our innocence. One for each of us. Dost thou comprehend?" 

Virgil gulped. Binx turned back to the other witches. "John and I decided to split. He will slowly introduce them to the idea that you guys aren't bad, I think, by the end of the night, we will have three people convinced of your innocence." 

Logan blinked. Then tears blurred his vision. "You've grown so smart! I'm so proud!" Binx rolled his eyes. Logan whipped the tears away. "Come, we must fly." The three witches returned inside the house to grab their brooms. And then they were off, Binx riding with Virgil to go get the book back. 

\------

John sat down by a gravestone. The words on the stone read Thackeray Binx. "My brother almost lost his life due to my prejudices. Instead, three innocent lives ended due to my foolishness. So I decided to right my wrong once Logan and his brothers returned. My brother decided to help me." John sighed. "I've guarded the house on All Hallow's Night for over 300 years while I waited for an airheaded virgin to light the candle." 

"Nice going, airhead," Emile joked. 

Roman huffed, frustrated. "I'm sorry! Okay? But these are three witches from the 17th century versus the 21st century, how bad can it be?" 

Laughter startled the three teens and they whirled around to see the three witches on their broomsticks. "Oh don't worry, Princey. It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus." The three teens on the ground moved closer together. Remy flew closer to Virgil and whispered something in his ear making Virgil smirk. The three witches flew around the group and surrounded them. Virgil leaned forward and gave a sultry smile to Roman, his skirt fluttering in the wind. "Brave little virgin who lit the candle. I'll be thy friend.” 

Logan groaned at his brothers' attempts to tease and fluster the overdramatic man. Roman's face turned rosy red. His thoughts running wild.

"They can't touch us here, right?" Emile asked. John stayed silent. Logan whispered a spell and the book began to float up towards Logan. 

"The book!" Roman shrieked. He raced forward to try and get a hold of the book only to stumble. 

Logan's concentration dropped as suddenly, the ground near a gravestone began to crumble as a body pushed its way out of its grave. Roman stared in frozen horror as a zombie stood in front of his tombstone. 

"Eli," Logan whispered, horrorstruck. The zombie before them had a face half covered in scales, his dark magic having taken over his corpse in death as it waited for its master to return. His mouth was sewn shut before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife to cut through the thread holding his lips together. 

Virgil stiffened and moved closer to Roman and the other teens without them noticing, trying to keep himself as close as possible in the case of the wicked zombie witch lunging towards the teens. 

Remy frowned. "Eli, it seems you are back." 

Eli grinned wickedly. "Yes, it seems so. It makes sense. I used the same spell as you guys, except I come back when you come back. " Logan flew closer to Patton, ready to yank him up onto his broom in case of emergency. 

"You bastard!" Virgil growled. 

Eli's eyes glinted as he turned his attention to Virgil. "Ah, nice you see you. Remember when you found me sucking the lives out of children and then ran to tell your brother?" Logan found himself burning with anger. "Then remember how that backfired and I told the town you were witches before you caught me and poisoned me? Yeah, that was so much fun." 

Patton, Emile, and Roman stood stock still, caught in a crossfire between what seemed to be not three, but four witches. Roman looked between his friends and the witches. Then he looked between the three witches and the zombie witch. He looked back at his friends, catching their attention. They had a silent conversation through their eyes. Roman couldn't believe what they were about to do. He looked back and forth between the four witches. Then he nodded towards his friends. The three friends took a step back, closer to the Sanderson Brothers. 

Eli suddenly turned towards the three teens. "And who might these charming young life donors be?" 

Roman's eyes widened and he stood taller in front of his friends in an attempt to protect them. The three Sandersons brothers began speaking to each other through their telekinetic contention. Coming to an agreement in record time, the three witches reached down and yanked one of the teens up onto their broomsticks using strength enhancement magic. The three teens yelped in sync and the witches turned their brooms and zoomed off, out towards the cemetery gates with Eli's vicious laughter ringing in their ears. 

\-----

"Let me down!" Roman cried out with annoyance as the witches came to a stop a foot above the sidewalk. The three witches helped the teens off their broomsticks before climbing off themselves. 

"I'm so sorry you were dragged into this. You should go home and lock your doors," Virgil suggested. 

The three teens shared an unsure glance before looking back at the three witches who had already formed a circle talking in urgent whispers. The two black cats sat in the middle of the circle talking to each other before talking to the witches. The friends felt extremely out of the loop. 

Patton bit his lip before stepping forward tentatively. "Excuse me?" The witches and cats all turned back to them in surprise, almost as if they didn't expect them to still be there. Patton gulped nervously. "I'm sorry to interpret, I just wanted to know if you could tell us what was going on." The three witches shared a glance. 

"We'd have to get away from here first," Remy said. 

"Where would we go?" Emile asked, slightly suspicious. 

"Well," Virgil started. "Our house is safe, isn't the charm still working?" 

Logan bit his lip. "Yeah. But should we even be worried? After all, he's stuck on his grave." 

Virgil shook his head. "But he's powerful, we can't just brush that off." 

The three witches looked back at the other three teens. "Would you be willing to come back to our home to discuss this?" Logan asked. 

Patton blinked and looked between Roman and Emile. "Uhh, so long as we don't have to ride on those broomsticks again." 

Remy chuckled. "Yeah, if you're not used to flying it can really be sickening."

The three witches jumped as a horn honked with the arrival of a bus as it pulled up beside them. The door opened and a man inside spared a glance at the teens before looking at the witches. "Bobo, bobo, I'm in trouble." 

Logan inspected the bus closely while Remy raised an eyebrow. Virgil, however, was pressed against the gates to the cemetery staring with wide eyes, the fear of the unknown, making his heart beat rapidly. Roman found the action quite endearing, to say the least. 

"Tell me, what is this contraption?" 

"I call it a bus," the driver said. 

"A bus? Interesting." 

Patton bit his lip before stepping forward and taking him by the arm. "It takes us places. Kind of like you're broom expect it stays on the ground."

Logan nodded. "Fascinating." Patton pulled Logan up onto the bus and moved to sit in one of the seats. 

Remy glanced at Emile and winked before holding out his hand. Emile flushed darkly before taking Remy's hand and pulling him onto the bus after Logan and Patton. Roman held a finger up to the bus driver. "One moment, please." He then turned back towards Virgil, who was on the verge of a panic attack, his chest heaving. Roman took careful steps forward and held a hand out to Virgil. "Come on, it'll be okay." 

Virgil's stunning purple eyes shot towards him and he worked to take deep breaths. Virgil slowly peeled himself from the gates and took a nervous step towards Roman. He slipped his hand into the princely man's open one and Roman offered a soft smile. He slowly leads Virgil up and into the bus to sit down near his brothers. "It's okay. Breathe." 

Virgil focused on Roman as he listened to Patton answer Logan's questions of the 21st century and took deep breaths. Roman nodded. "Good, you're doing good." He rubbed soothing circles on Virgil's hand. 

Virgil took a deep breath. "Thank you," he whispered as he pulled his hand out of Roman's and twisted his skirt in his hands. 

Roman nodded. "You're welcome." 

In the back, Emile and Remy sat next to each other, slightly awkward and slightly comfortable. Remy, for all the flirting he does, couldn't think of anything that could possibly entertain the attractive man beside him and Emile was too gay for this. Remy dwindled his thumbs before clearing his throat. "So...it seems things have changed quite a bit since I was last on Earth." 

Emile nodded. "Yeah. A lot can happen in 300 years." 

Remy nodded. He glanced around, trying to find a suitable topic to bring up. His eyes landed on Emile's costume. "So, what are you wearing?" 

Emile blinked and looked down. "Oh! Halloween is a day to dress up and get candy. I'm dressed up as a therapist because ..." 

Remy found himself staring at Emile fondly. He could tell the male was soft-hearted with just one look. And his sugary sweet scent only confirmed it. He let out a silent sigh as Emile talked. The fiery passion in the teen’s eyes something Remy found a very admirable trait. 

Meanwhile, Logan and Patton sat together, Patton answering any and every question Logan threw his way. One particular topic, Logan found largely interesting. "What's H2O?"

Patton giggled, the stars in Logan's eyes twinkling happily. "It's the chemical formula for water. Two hydrogens and one oxygen." 

"What are they?" 

"Elements." And so Patton continued to tell Logan as much as he could about science. It was no chore seeing as every time Logan's eyes lit up, Patton found a warmth flush across his cheeks and a satisfying thump in his chest. 

As for Roman and Virgil, they stayed silent for the rest of the ride back to the cottage. 

Half of their group unsure of what they were facing and the other half nervous and terrified over the possibilities and outcomes to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?


	6. Dance Until You Die

Roman, Patton, and Emile sat in chairs across from the witches inside the Sanderson house. It was awkwardly quiet. Roman tapped his thumb on his folded hands. Virgil picked at his skirts. Patton bounced his leg while Logan tapped his pointer finger against his leg. Emile fiddled with his pen and Remy snored. Logan sighed and elbowed Remy who jolted up with a shout. 

"I wasn't asleep Mr. Thicket!" Remy blinked, forced himself to focus, before losing it again when Emile giggled at him. A smile twitched at his lips before he transferred it into a smirk. Logan frowned and cleared his throat. Remy glanced at his brother and rolled his eyes. "Alright, get on with it." 

Logan rolled his eyes so hard they almost got stuck. Then he turned towards the three teens sitting in front of them. "So, I suppose you will want an explanation?" 

"Yeah, that's kinda why we're here Microsoft Nerd," Roman huffed. 

Logan's face twisted in confusion. "What's a 'Microsoft Nerd'?"

Roman froze and blinked. He stared blankly at Logan for a few moments before he remembered the three people in front of him were witches from over 300 years ago brought back from the dead for one night. "Sorry, it's a 21th-century thing." 

Logan pursed his lips, trying to restrain himself from asking more questions about the 21st century. He sighed. "Okay. So, I suppose we shall start at the beginning." Logan clenched his fist. 

Virgil leaned forward with a frown and placed one of the cats on his lap. "Here. I can start with you." 

Logan held the cat as Virgil started the story. "We moved into Salem along with our mothers. They were very kind women. They taught us most of what we know. We stayed in the woods because most of us were.." Virgil bit his lip. "Reclusive? And eventually, they passed. It was about a year before we were…" Virgil took a deep breath. "Before we were hanged. And unfortunately, there was another witch in the town. He wasn't like us. And it was even worse that we didn't find that part out until it was too late." He huffed and clenched his fists before letting out a deep breath. "He used his wits and knowledge of magic to worm his way into our close-knit family. He used us and our gifts to gain life. He had found a spell that allowed him to suck the life out of children to gain more life for himself. He had used it for years to keep himself young. He sweet-talked the three of us…" Virgil felt his throat beginning to close up. "He learned of how Remy had a magically enhanced sense of smell and..he.." Virgil's throat felt scratchy. His eyes felt itchy and his face felt splotchy. "He-" He felt something cool splash onto his cheek. He frowned, confused. Was it raining? What was happening? Why couldn't he see? His ears were ringing. Why were his ears ringing? What was going on? Why couldn't he breathe? Who was that speaking? 

"Vir-il!" What were they saying? "-gil!"

"Virgil!" 

Virgil jumped as he felt hands on him. "Virgil, breathe. In 4, hold 7, out for 8." Virgil followed the instructions, repeating them as needed. Soon the ringing in his ears died down and he could see again, albeit a little blurry. Virgil took a few moments to calm down some more as he took in his surroundings. Remy and Logan were on either side of him while he noticed Patton and Emile in the background wringing their hands with worry. Both Binx and John sat calmly in his lap, emitting loud purrs. He frowned as he realized one of their group was missing.  _ Where's Princey?  _ Suddenly, Virgil became aware that he wasn't sitting on his chair anymore. He wasn't even sitting on the floor. Whatever was beneath him felt warm and fleshy. "It's okay, Virgil. Everything is okay."  _ Roman.  _

Virgil's face flushed red. "Don't worry Virgil, we explained everything to them," Remy said, uncharacteristically soft. Virgil nodded and relaxed against Roman as the valiant teen ran his fingers through Virgil's hair, soothing the anxious witch as he calmed down from his attack. 

"I'm sorry." 

Roman frowned. "Hey, there's nothing to be sorry for." 

Patton stepped forward and nodded rapidly. "Exactly! There is nothing to be ashamed of, kiddo. Nothing at all." 

Roman lightly tightened his grip on the tall witch as he mulled over the explanation for why the anxious emo witch freaked. 

\-----

_ Roman's eyes blew wide as he watched tears spill down Virgil's face. His chest rose and fell erratically as sobs erupted from his mouth. Patton went to surge forward only to stop and freeze, unsure if he would be able to help or not. Logan and Remy moved quickly to pull Virgil out of his chair and sit him on the floor so he wouldn't end up falling out of it. Roman felt his heart clench painfully as Virgil curled in on himself, the fabric of his skirts getting twisted around his legs. " _

_ Patton wrung his hands repeatedly. "Is there anything-" he bit his lip. "Is there anything we can do to help?" He asked.  _

_ Logan nodded. "Are any of you strong enough to hold Virgil in your lap and make sure he doesn't accidentally hurt himself?"  _

_ Roman flushed as both Emile and Patton glanced at him. "Yeah, Roman plays football and does theatre.."  _

_ "What's football?" Remy asked as he turned and beckoned Roman to come over.  _

_ Roman let himself be guided to the floor where he could pull Virgil into his lap as gently as he could. "What-" Emile paused, choosing his next words carefully. "What did He do?"  _

_ Remy bit his lip. "He used Virgil's power. He asked him how it worked. He asked him to demonstrate it. Virgil or course wasn't going to but Eli used his own power, puppetry, to force Virgil to sing." _

_ Logan sighed. "Virgil ran home as fast as he could to tell us and we were able to poison Eli and sew his mouth shut. Unfortunately, Eli told the town about us. Made them weary. So when Virgil lured Binx to our home so we could help him and John told others, it was all too easy for the townspeople to believe him."  _

_ Tears sprang in Roman's eyes as he pulled Virgil closer. Binx and John jumped up into Virgil's lap to help calm the witch and Roman as they purred. He redirected his attention to helping Virgil.  _

\-----

Anger seeped into his veins at the thought of that wretched zombie witch he met earlier using Virgil's charming voice to lure children to him to take their lives. He didn't think what Logan did to that witch was good enough. That devil deserved more than just being poisoned and getting his mouth sewn shut. Although he appreciated the effort from Logan and Remy. But he was going to make sure that the devil paid. He wasn't going to let Virgil go unavenged. 

\-----

Logan, Remy, and Virgil glanced around with barely masked confusion as children in costumes ran around with bags full of candy. "So you're telling me that All Hallow's Eve has become a night of frolic where children wear costumes and run amok to get candy?" Logan asked. 

"Yup," Emile answered. "We call it Halloween now." 

Virgil began hopping up and down, "Amok! Amok! Amok! Amok!" 

Logan groaned, feeling his soul leave his body at his brother's successful attempt to annoy him. Roman giggled at the adorable emo witch in front of him. Logan pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an annoyed huff. "This is not good. Eli will be looking for children to suck the lives out of so that he doesn't turn to dust come sunrise. It will be a lot easier for him to get enough children to keep him young if they're all out and about." 

Patton bit his lip. "Well then what are we going to do?" 

"He can suck the lives out of adults too," Remy added. 

The group stood still for a few moments. "So, what do we do?" Emile asked, subconsciously shifting closer to Remy. The group sat silent for a few moments. Neither the witches or teens or cats had an idea. Roman bit his lip as he worked out a plan in his head. "I think...I think I have an idea." 

\------

Once the six humans and two cats got inside the town hall, they fought through the crowded hall of adults in costumes to get to a semi-abandoned corner. "Okay, let's go through the plan again," Emile said. Everyone nodded in agreement. 

"I will hop up onto the stage and warn the adults. If that doesn't work then I will point the witches out.." Roman started before Logan picked up. 

"Then, Remy, Virgil, and I will come up on stage to sing a song and charm the adults to dance until they die. The charm will wear off once we turn to dust." Roman winced. 

Patton felt his eyes sting. He forced the oncoming tears back. "What if you live? What if you stay?" 

Logan blinked, taken aback by the thought of living past sunrise. "Well," he started, his throat feeling slightly closed up. "If we live past sunrise, we can decharm the spell." Patton let out a sigh of relief. "So is everyone okay with the plan?" Logan asked. 

"You ready to act Princey?" Virgil asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Roman raised his head high. "I was born ready," he exclaimed before marching up to the stage and pulling himself up onto the stage. "Hey!" He called out. "Cut the music!" 

"We're in the middle of a song!" The bands' singer argued. 

Roman frowned. "Its an emergency, only for a minute, okay?!??" The music stopped and he turned around to face the crowd as they turned to look for the explanation for the sudden absence of music. "Your kids are in danger."

The crowd became angry and concerned in a second. "What do you mean!?!?" Someone shouted out. 

Roman sighed. "Over 300 years ago the Sanderson Brothers bewitched people. Now they have returned from the grave!" Roman let out an annoyed groan as the crowd erupted in laughter. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "This isn't a joke! I'm being serious!" 

Down in the crowd, the Sanderson brothers moved into place their skirts and capes swirling with their movement. Back up on stage, Roman pretended to grow desperate. "Look, I know this sounds like a bunch of bullshit but they're here tonight. They're right over there!" He threw a dramatic arm out to point towards the brothers. A spotlight moved to hit them and the crowd drew back in shock.

Virgil, having already been chosen to lead through this steps forward. "Thank you, Princey, for that marvelous introduction." The crowd relaxed, small laughter spilling out. Virgil started singing. "I put a spell on you, and now your mine." Roman tried not to react too violently upon hearing Virgill's voice. It was heavenly. "You can't stop the things I do. I ain't lyyying." 

"No! Don't listen to them!" Emile cried out, his voice drowned out by the cheers from the people around them, just as they had planned. 

"It's been 300 years, right down to the day. Now the witch is back, and there's hell to pay," Virgil sang as he moved through the crowd toward the stage. "I put a spell on you.."

The singer turned to Roman with a large smile. "Good joke. Happy Halloween!"

Roman shook his head. "No! I'm serious!" 

The singer rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right." 

"And now you're miiiiine!" 

"All right, let's go!" The singer told his band and they started up again. Virgil lifted his skirt as he stepped up on to the stage. "Hello, Salem! My name's Virgil, what's yours?!" Virgil shouted as his brothers followed. They threw off their capes and began to sing. "I put a spell on you. And now you're gone!" 

"Gone gone gone so long!" Remy and Logan sang, acting as their brother's background singers. And if they had teary eyes because of how brave their brother was being, then that was okay. 

"My whammy fell on you. And it was strong."

"So strong. So strong. So strong." 

"Your wretched little lives have all been cursed, 'cause out of all the witches working, I'm the worst!" Virgil danced across the stage, his skirts swirling. "I put a spell on you, and now you're mine!" 

"Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! Watch out!"

"If you don't believe, you'd better get superstitious. Ask my brothers!"

"Ooh, he's vicious!" 

"I put a spell on you...I put a spell on you. Brothers!" 

The three witches joined together to sing the mystical words to charm the room. "Ah say ento pi alpha mabi upendi!" 

The crowd sang back the same. "Ah say ento pi alpha mabi upendi!" 

"In comma coriyama." 

"In comma coriyama."

"Ay, ay, aye, aye, say bye-byyyyyyyyyyyyye! Bye-bye!" The three brothers finished their song. The crowd cheered and the witches looked to see Roman, Patton, and Emile waiting for them at the bottom of the steps with the two cats. "Dance, dance, until you die!" Virgil cried out before lifting his skirts and running off stage to join the others. 

Suddenly, Logan ran into them with an alarmed look. "He's here! Eli is here! We have to go!" The six humans and two cats ran out the back door, Eli not far behind. "Let's go!" Roman yelled. He grabbed ahold of Virgil's hand and yanked him along as Patton and Emile did the same. The witches startled slightly but quickened their pace as they raced through the streets and into a dead-end alleyway in the hopes of losing the zombie witch. The quickly hid behind trash cans and old ovens as Eli stopped just outside the alley. 

The group held their breath, Roman pulled Virgil tighter against him, the need to comfort and hold someone too strong in the moment for him to resist. Then Eli left, deciding he was going to try and suck the lives out of a child before dealing with the troublesome witches and their stupid boyfriends. Surely they wouldn't cause too much trouble before sunrise. 

They all waited a few moments before climbing out of their hiding places and dusted themselves off. "What are we going to do?" Patton asked. 

Emile bit his lip. "You said Eli can't enter your home, correct?" 

Logan nodded. "Not even the property." 

Emile hummed. "Then maybe we should gather all the children there?" 

Logan blinked. "That could work." 

Remy smirked. "My man is smart," he muttered to himself. 

Patton giggled silently before innocently asking, "What was that Remy?" 

Remy's eyes widened. "Uh, nothing." 

"Let's get going before he has a chance to hurt anyone." 

And they were off. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?


	7. I'll Take Thee Away

Virgil, Logan, and Remy flew into the sky on their brooms, leaving Roman, Patton, and Emile behind to run through town and finding anyone they could possibly recruit to help them on their way to the Sanderson house to make sure the path to the cottage was safe for hypnotized kids. "Use thy voice, Virgil. Bring them to the property. We mustn't let their lives be sucked from their bodies." 

Virgil nodded and swung down to skim the treetops as he started his song, his brothers flying ahead to hurry home. 

" _ Come little children I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment."  _ Virgil sang, his voice a beautiful melody ringing out through the cool night air. Below him, children left their homes and began moving towards the Sanderson House.  _ "Come, little children, the times come to play. Here in my garden of magic~" _

\------

Roman, Patton, Emile, and John raced through town to get to the Sanderson house. As they ran, Logan and Remy had flown back to the house to prepare a potion to get rid of Eli in the case he had gotten to a child and they didn't get rid of him before sunrise. Despite running through the streets of Salem, they saw nary a child or car. It seemed trick-or-treating was over and the kids were all tucked in bed. However, the lack of cars was a little unsettling. If that alone wasn't enough to frighten them, then the eerie chill in the air surely tipped them off to the sinister plans of one undead 17th-century zombie witch. 

Roman found some warmth in Virgil's voice as they ran. It was comforting to know that, should they run into any trouble, a simple shout would arouse the witch's attention and he could fly down to help them. He soon noticed children tumbling out of their homes and walking through the street right to the Sanderson house. 

He let out a sigh of relief. Their plan was working. He just hoped Eli hadn't gotten to a child already. It would be a lot harder for the three of them to try and pour the potion on Eli without the witch's help. Waiting for him to turn to dust with the sunrise was really their best-case scenario. It every thing worked. 

\-----

Logan and Remy watched as children piled onto the property. Suddenly, Roman, Patton, and Emile tripped through the gates in their rush to get inside. Virgil landed on the ground beside them and the four continued to the cottage and closed the door after entering. "The children are all coming," Virgil breathed out, his eyes wide, his skin as white as a sheet. His heartbeat erratically and his chest heaved beneath his corset. 

Logan frowned and turned to hurriedly finish the potion while Remy moved to help Virgil to one of the chairs. "Virgil? What's wrong?" 

Patton bit his lip, fighting himself on what to do. On one hand, he wanted to help Virgil, but he also wanted to help Logan so they could quickly get rid of the zombie witch and then the witches could enjoy their final hours. Patton tensed. He shook the thought from his head and turned to help Logan. He didn't like entertaining the possibility that these wonderful witches would turn to dust come sunrise but he also couldn't just ignore it. With a reluctant sigh, he moved to help Logan.

"What can I do to help?" He asked softly. 

Logan jerked his chin towards his spell book. "Read off the ingredients, please. I'll get them." 

"Of course." Patton quickly moved to read from the book. He occasionally grabbed ingredients and handed them to Logan. And if his heart skipped and his breath hitched every time they touched, Logan didn't mention it. And if Patton noticed a bright red blush spreading across his cheeks each time, he didn't say anything either. 

Meanwhile, Emile inched towards Roman, Virgil, and Remy. He wanted to help. In any way, he could. "Remy" he called softly.

Remy turned to Emile with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?" 

"What can I do to help?" 

Remy blinked. He glanced between his brother and Emile. Finally, Roman stepped in and took a gentle hold on Virgil. "Go, I've got him," he dared to whisper as soft as he could. His eyes on the messy hair falling into Virgil's face. 

Remy nodded and lead Emile outside. "Okay," he surveyed the large crowd of children. "We need to make sure he can't fly over and snatch someone up." 

"How are we going to do that?" Emile asked. 

Remy frowned. "I don't know. I was hoping you would have an idea. We can't fit them all in the house." 

"Wouldn't getting them on hallowed ground work?" 

One of the cats hopped up and shook his head. "Maybe, but he's a very powerful witch, there's a chance he could get to them. And to move them? It wouldn't be smart with him lurking around." 

Remy huffed. "Well, let's just get them to sit down. Won't be as easy if they're standing up." 

The two boys moved to guide children down to sit on the ground. They hoped it would be harder for Eli to grab them if they were sitting at the very least, it would give them time to react. Hopefully. 

Emile bit his lip as he helped more children sit among the overgrown yard of the witch's home. He had an idea. It was a risky one. A very risky one, but it would certainly work. Especially if Eli held a grudge against the Sandersons. "Remy," Emile tried softly, paying extra close attention to a particularly boring pile of leaves. Remy turned, his skirts swirling around his ankles as he moved to stand next to Emile. 

"Yeah?" He asked carefully, his exceptionally good nose picking up on the heavy uneasy scent wafting toward him. 

Emile picked at a stray piece of thread on his bag. "What if," he started. "we set up a trap for Eli? If we lured him away from the rest of the kids and kept him occupied until sunrise, he'll turn to dust and we'll be rid of him." 

A shiver shot up Remy's spine at the mention of sunrise and dust. He ignored the uneasy feeling swelling in his stomach, stuffing the feeling away in a bottle. He wasn't scared. He wasn't. "That…" Remy bit his lip, not liking the idea of having to use someone as bait, but also wanting to stop Eli from staying in the world of the living before he and his brothers hit the dust. "That could work, but…" Remy hesitated, picking his words carefully. "But who's going to lure him away? Plus, it's dangerous. We can't just use anyone as bait." 

Emile nodded. "Well, yeah. But if it's a group instead of just one.."

Remy nodded slowly. "Yeah, safety in numbers. That would be better." He took a few moments to think everything over. "Let's ask the others what they think first, okay?" 

\-----

Roman wasn't sure what he hated most. Accidentally bringing back three dead witches and one zombie witch or being bait. He was a prince for crying out loud! He wasn't bait! He was the one who did the surprise attack! But, when he remembered Virgil's breakdowns due to Eli, he quickly relented. That didn't mean he was going to be happy about it. He huffed as he walked through town with Patton and Emile back to his house. They had been hoping to have Eli chase after them as soon as they got on the main road but no such luck. Or maybe luck was on his side by saying, 'I won't make you run into this monster.' Because he really didn't want to. But then he remembered how Virgil had reacted and he was reminded of the witches flying above them, high enough to avoid being sighted but low enough to hear them. And shoved the thoughts away. 

With the resurfacing of his courage, Roman marched through town and began what he did best. Acting. "I don't know about you guys," Roman shouted. "But I'm like-I can't even-that witch in the purples? He is fine!" Well…..maybe this didn't require much acting on Roman's part. It wasn't exactly a lie that Virgil was an ethereal being too beautiful and stunning for his mere mortal eyes to lay upon. In fact, Roman was sure it was a fact written in a textbook somewhere. 

Patton chuckled heartily. "Awwww!"

"When's the wedding?" Emile teased with a smirk. 

Roman's face exploded in various shades of red, some even matched his sash. "Shut up," he hissed with embarrassment. 

"Oh yes, do please keep talking." 

The three friends froze. Turning in a slow circle they came face to face with Eli. He shot them a wicked grin. Then he lifted his hands in an 'I'm gonna get ya!' Pose and shouted, "Boo!" Roman, Emile, and Patton turned in unison and darted through the streets, their shrieks reaching the witches above them who came down to try and help the teens. 

Eli looked up at them with a crooked grin that was seemingly cut into his face. "Clever you three are. But that just gives me the opportunity to suck the life out of your suitors." The witches let out a low growl. "Oh no!" Eli exclaimed sarcastically. "Its seems I've caused anger." He chuckled and began twirling his fingers to create a blinding flash bomb. Virgil's eyes darted towards the witches fingers and his eyes widened comically large. He tried to warn his brothers but it was too late. Logan and Remy spiraled out of control and landed in a group of trees. Virgil screamed. Eli nodded his head again, the grin still in place. "Good luck." He turned and walked off leaving Virgil alone. He moved to help his brothers only to stop when they told him to go help the others, they would catch up. He bit his lip before turning and flying into the clouds, keeping an eye on the three teens as they raced through empty roads towards Old Burial Hill. He slowly began to form a plan for every possible outcome as he rocketed forward through the sky. 

\-----

Roman found himself running with no destination in mind, simply trying to get as far away from the kids as possible, lest Eli turn around and go after them instead. His feet didn't listen. They lead right back to where this started. The prince, the father, and the therapist all tumbled through the gates of the old Salem cemetery, the sunrise still a half-hour away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think?


	8. Sunrise

Roman, Patton, and Emile quickly found themselves collapsing next to Thackeray Binx's grave. "He's coming!" The three scrambled up as they noticed two streaks of black dart out from the underbrush. John and Binx pawed at their legs. "Come on! We have to go!" Before they could leave, however, there was a sudden snap and the tree limb hanging out over the graves split from its trunk and smashed down. Roman was barely able to dive out of the way in time. A vile and wicked chuckle sounded behind them. Roman lifted his head from where he had slammed into the ground and found the zombie witch standing behind them with a malicious grin spread across his face. It looked like it was cut into his rotting face, and suddenly, he saw it. It was Matt. It was that grin. That terrifying grin. That was Matt's grin. The one he didn't think Roman saw but he did. Roman quickly scrambled to his feet, scraping his hands and knees on loose stones and sharp rocks as he moved to get away from the witch. Dirt fell from his clothes, his white prince uniform no longer so white as he hastily brushed dirt from the fabric. Emile and Patton grabbed Roman's arms and pulled him back towards them, eyeing the witch carefully. Roman stood almost frozen as he watched the hideous being in front of him. 

"Well, well, well. What might we  _ not _ have here?" 

Roman forced the connection his mind made between the witch in front of him and his ex and frowned. It seemed as if the zombie witch spoke in some kind of code. He vaguely wondered if the Sandersons had mentioned how to decode it. Eli took a confident step forward. "It seems I have  _ not _ come upon a certain group of three who may  _ or may not _ be the key to my revenge and my staying here on Earth." 

Roman pushed Emile and Patton back behind him quickly. "What do you want?" Eli pulled out a small vial from his pocket and swung it back and forth between his fingers. 

"All I want," he started. "is for one of you to drink this. Once I have what I want, I will let the other two live." 

Emile and Patton tightened their grasp on Roman's arms. Roman bit his lip. "What is it?" 

Eli gave a devilish grin. "Oh, this?" He asked. "Just a little something I cooked up. You don't stay this young without a little dark magic." 

Roman wrinkled his nose. "Why do you need one of us to drink it?" He asked steadily. Had he not been a good actor, he wouldn't have been able to hide the uneasy feeling slowly overcoming him. 

"Why so I can steal your life force of course." The malicious glint in Eli's eye was unmistakable.

Roman couldn't help but shudder as he pushed back farther from the malicious entity. 

"What happens if none of us takes your stupid potion?" Patton asked, his voice surprisingly loud and steady. Almost as if he were unaffected by the threat to their lives. 

Eli shrugged carelessly. "Then you all die. Either way, I'm going to live forever." 

Emile flinched. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the two black cats crouched low, hidden in the brush. What were they planning? Where was Remy? Where was Virgil? Where was Logan? What happened? Why weren't they there? Above him, Virgil watched carefully, hoping his brothers got here before he had to intervene. 

"So, which one of you is ready to die, Hhm?" Eli inspected the vial again. "Any volunteers?" 

Roman grit his teeth. "Go to hell!" 

Eli chuckled. "Oh, I've been there, it's quite lovely. Thank you." 

Roman suppressed a wince as Patton's nails dug into his skin. He tried to think. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't about to let either of his friends give up their lives and he was sure they weren't going to let him give up his. If he were to sacrifice himself for them, how would he do it? And would the vile, walking corpse in front of them even keep his promise? Would he really let his friends go? Maybe if he stalled long enough, the witches would get here and stop Eli before he hurt his friends too.

Suddenly, however, as if in a blink, two black masses darted across the ground and swiped at Eli's legs with piercing sharp claws. Eli shrieked and fell back. The cats scratched at his skin some more, hoping to stall him while the three friends recognized the distraction, turned tail and ran. They raced through the graveyard, tripping over tombstones that jutted out of the ground like broken teeth. 

As Roman ran after his friends he was hit with a sudden idea. While his friends ran ahead of him towards the cemetery gates, Roman let himself fall behind, until he no longer saw his friends and he was alone. All he had to do was wait. He turned around to go back and face Eli, only to find him standing behind him with a vicious snarl curled on his lips. He didn't have to wait long. The witch's face was etched into a snarl as he stalked forward and ripped Roman towards him, causing the prince to trip over his feet only to be yanked off the ground, his legs kicking uselessly as his feet dangled in the air. 

"It seems you've fallen behind," he growled. 

Roman's nose wrinkled as 300-year-old breath wafted back onto his face. He tried not to think of the fact that the body holding him aloft had laid in a grave decaying for over 300 hundred years and kept his mouth shut. 

"A pity." He let Roman fall to his knees before grabbing a hold of his hair and dragging him through the dead leaves scattered across the ground. Roman yelped as the witch pulled at his scalp. "You could have made such a good familiar," Eli muttered before he yanked him up as they came to a stop at his open grave. "Open up your mouth, boy." Eli ripped the cork off the vial with his teeth and began tipping the green liquid over Roman's mouth. He let go of Roman’s hair and gripped his jaw harshly so he could force his mouth open. 

_ I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.  _

"Stop!" 

Eli jumped and spun around, holding Roman tight against him as he turned to face Virgil who stood before them with an angry frown. "Let. Him. Go." Roman's heart twisted as he saw Virgil's fingers twitch slightly. A tell tale sign that he was scared. 

Eli's lips pulled back in a wicked snarl. "I don't think I will." 

"Then I will make you."

Eli let out a howling laugh. "Please, Virgil, don't fool yourself. You know you can’t beat me. You never can and you never will. Nothing you do can stop me. Once I take his life, I will live past sunrise and you and your brothers will turn to dust. And I will have all of Salem in my grasp. No one will be able to stop me." 

Roman pulled at Eli's arm as it crushed against his neck. He pushed his feet into the ground uselessly. "Face it, Virgil, you are useless." 

Virgil's glare intensified until suddenly he was gone. Roman froze. Eli's eyes darted around the graveyard as he held Roman tighter against him. A noise rang out and suddenly, Eli was down and Roman was on his hands and knees hacking violently. Virgil quickly yanked him up onto his broom and they zoomed up above the trees as they turned towards the horizon. Logan and Remy flew up to meet them, Patton and Emile along with them. The first hints of sunrise broke over the horizon, spilling through the treetops. Virgil glanced down and noticed Eli staring at the creeping sunlight with horror. Virgil clenched his fists and let his eyes stare at the sunlight breaking across the sky. "Just let the broom guide you down to the ground. You'll be okay." Roman turned around and stared at Virgil. 

The witch blinked as tears pooled in Roman's eyes. "No. You can't leave. You can't." 

Virgil shook his head. "It's going to be okay. It's all going to be okay." Roman shook his head.

"No. You don't deserve to die. You didn't do anything wrong-"

"Roman," Virgil said softly. "People who don't deserve it die all the time. You'll just have to move on." Virgil turned back to the sunrise only to be hit with a blinding light. He threw his arm up to cover his eyes only to notice an explosion of yellow glitter to erupt below. His head whipped around to find Eli had turned to dust. The wind blew and any trace of the zombie witch was gone. He grimaced. He really hoped it didn't hurt for long. He may have slightly come to terms with his death but that didn't mean he wasn't scared.

Virgil waited. And waited. After a minute or two, he peaked out only to notice his brothers staring at themselves in disbelief. And then, his own face mirrored theirs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think? I'd really appreciate it.


	9. Dust Or No Dust!

"I-I don't understand," Logan stuttered. 

"We-we're not..." 

"Logan?" Virgil started slowly. "Why haven't we turned to dust?" 

Logan blinked, his face twisted in confusion. "I-I don't know." Patton wrapped his arms around Logan and took hold of the broom to gently guide them down to earth, fearing for Logan's safety. Logan hardly noticed the change in height. Emile wrapped his arms around Remy in an attempt to ground him. The witch blinked rapidly and took hold of the broom to fly down to the ground yet he still didn't notice much of a change as he numbly followed his brother's broom. Roman looked after the four, wanting to follow but too nervous to do so for fear of Virgil falling off the broom. Unlike his friends, Roman had been yanked onto the broom, right in front of Virgil and therefore, he couldn't hold Virgil against him as they flew down. He took a deep breath before reaching back and taking the witch's arms and wrapping them around his waist. He kept one hand held tightly against the pale limbs as he steered the broom to the ground with one hand. It certainly wasn't as easy as it looked. 

Once Roman was back on solid ground, he found the other witches weren't in much better shape. Remy was sitting on a rock, his mouth in a frown as he stared at his hands. Emile stood next to him, seemingly helpless and unsure of what to do. Logan was pacing back and forth as he muttered quietly to himself. His gaze flickered between his limbs and the rising sun every so often as if trying to figure out a complex problem. Patton watched worriedly from the side, his arms stretched out towards the witch as if to comfort him. He was just as concerned as Emile.

Roman quickly caught his friend's eyes and they had a mini conversation through their eyes and quickly formulated a plan. Emile turned to Remy. He carefully crouched down and placed a calm and gentle hand on the witch's shoulder. "Remy?" He called softly. Remy nodded his head listlessly. "Are you okay?" 

"I-I don't know. I--we're still here?!?! And I don't know why." 

Emile nodded his head. "I can see how you would be worried and confused." 

Tears brewed in Remy's eyes. "I don't know what's happening, Emile."

Emile's eyes widened and he quickly pulled Remy close, allowing the witch to bury his face in his chest. Emile gently rested his head on Remy's hair as he rubbed soothing circles into the fabric on his back. "That's okay. It's okay to not know Remy. It's okay to be scared." Emile let his whispers soothe the male in his arms as he kept an eye on his friends and the sun. 

\------

Logan paced nervously back and forth. He kept muttering to himself and glancing at the sun. Patton was almost at a loss as to what to do. He waited a few moments before crossing the ground to Logan. "Logan?" He carefully placed a gentle hand on Logan's arm. Logan froze. 

"What is it, Patton?" 

Patton licked his dry lips. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Maybe because the witch in front of him was incredibly intelligent and quite handsome. "Can you tell me what's bothering you?" He asked, his voice soft as he tried to keep as calming an aura as he could so as to help Logan relax. 

Logan sighed. "I just-I don't know." Logan began curling in on himself. "I'm supposed to know." Patton moved closer to wrap his arms around the spectacled witch. "I don't understand. Is, if I don't know, something could be coming, something bad. I have to know." 

Patton hummed softly. "I see. Would you like help in trying to figure out?" 

Logan nodded numbly. "Please?" 

Patton smiled softly. "Of course." 

\-----

Roman watched helplessly as Virgil spiraled down a dark abyss. Be bit his lip, contemplating what to do. He took a few steps forward to crouch down in front of Virgil. He moved his hands forward and gently took Virgil's hands from where they were in his hair and held his hands in his own to stop the other from pulling at his hair. He heard a meow and turned to find Binx and John bouncing over to comfort the panicking witch. Roman threw them a grateful smile as they climbed into Virgil's lap and began purring. 

"Virgil?" Roman whispered gently. "Can you hear me?" A nod. Roman smiled softly. "Okay, you've got this. In for four seconds." Virgil breathed in. "Hold for seven seconds." He held it. "Breathe out for eight seconds." He breathed out. "That's good. You're doing really good Virgil. Okay, now keep going. In for four," Virgil followed. "Hold for seven." Virgil slowly stopped shaking. "Out for eight. In four." Roman watched as Virgil moved his eyes around slowly grounding himself. "Hold seven." Roman felt Virgil's pulse calm. "Out eight." 

Virgil repeated the practice one more time before he was able to get the breath to speak. "T-thank you," he whispered, his voice hardly there. 

Roman smiled fondly. "Anything for you." 

\-------

It was Halloween night, the moon was full and the children were shrieking with joy and excitement. Roman smiled as children ran past him, bags of candy swinging in their grips. He continued walking and soon found himself turning down a nearly empty road leading to a centuries-old cottage. He checked his phone for the time. "SHIT!" He exclaimed and raced the remainder of the way. Nearly tumbling down the hill, Roman  _ just _ managed to right himself and leap up the two stairs to the small cottage and catch his breath. 

Music sounded from inside the cottage and he winced. He was going to be in so much trouble. He gingerly knocked on the door. It opened immediately to show a grumpy looking vampire. "You're late," the vampire said. 

Roman winced. "I know. I was trying to hurry up and finish my costume." The vampire's face softened slightly, but not enough to be noticeable. Roman pouted before leaning forward and pulling the vampire into a loving kiss. The vampire relaxed and he pulled away with a fond look. "You know that's not going to work every time I'm mad at you," Virgil said breathlessly. 

Roman smirked. "It's always worth a shot." 

Virgil huffed slightly with a smile and took in his boyfriend's costume. "A mummy huh?"

Roman nodded. "What better for me than zombie royalty!" 

Virgil laughed and the two went inside to find Logan and Patton cuddled up on the couch and Remy and Emile grabbing snacks off the snack table. The three witches had adjusted to the 21st century surprisingly well it seemed as spooky music filtered through the newly installed speakers. The third couple climbed into an armchair together as  _ Spooky Scary Skeletons  _ rang out through the speakers. 

"It's so hard to believe that just a year ago we were all preparing for us witches to turn to dust only to realize that, duh! We convinced a single person each of our innocence already," Remy said as he slid onto a chaise with Emile followed watching his boyfriend threw himself down onto the cushions. 

"Yes. It is certainly unbelievable but I am glad that it has happened," Logan stated as he unconsciously pulled Patton closer. The two, dressed as Frankenstein's monster and the wolfman respectively, looking an odd pair with their costumes but adorable nonetheless. 

"I'm just glad we're still here," Virgil whispered softly. Roman smiled and held Virgil closer while Emile sat next to Remy after having convinced the eccentric man to sit up. "I am too. You guys deserve justice. It wasn't fair what they did to you." 

"But we're here now. That's what counts," Patton piped in. 

Two black cats hopped up onto a nearby table. "I'll say. It was terribly lonely here until you guys came back," Binx said as he curled up alongside his brother. 

"Yeah," John agreed. "Now I can finally be the cat I always wanted to be." 

"A fat contented house cat?" Roman asked. 

"Exactly." 

The house erupted into laughter. "Mood," Virgil replied. 

Roman smiled fondly, although still a little unsure as to why the brothers voted to remain cats before remember just how good cats had it. Virgil was right, being able to sleep all day like a cat was certainly a mood. 

\------

Things were good. Really good. Roman couldn't be happier that he decided to light that candle last Halloween. He didn't regret it one bit. Virgil laid his head on his shoulder. Roman smiled softly. Yeah, he was really grateful he lit the candle. Even if he had to fight a zombie witch, to get what he had now. Every time he looked a Virgil, he knew. It was worth it 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think? Also, I got that title from deal or no deal.  
Also, if you made it this far, thank you so so much for reading! You are amazing! I hope you have Happy and safe Halloween. 👻🎃👻🎃👻

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think?


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